Theater No 9
by Evvie Parks
Summary: Destiel High School AU. Cas is just a regular high school student working a boring part time job at the local theater when one night he meets a not-so-regular boy named Dean..crying in the back of the theater. How will this mysterious stranger change Cas's life forever? (Credit for art on cover image goes to the amazing linneart on tumblr)
1. Chapter 1

**Theater No. 9**

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters. Sorry to disappoint.

Credit: The cover image for this story is an edit I created using the art of the amazing linneart on tumblr! Definitely go check out her work, it is amazing and a huge inspiration for this story!

**Chapter 1**

Cas sighed deeply as he ran his dirty rag over the glass case for the umpteenth time, wiping away the now nonexistent dirt. He'd already swept through the entire theater lobby twice and cleaned out the sweets counter so many times that the bags of M&M's practically sparkled. He was only passing time until he could go clean up Theater 9, finally call it a night, and head back home. Working at the movie theater wasn't always too bad, he mused, but tonight had been a particularly slow night, with the exception of the one big midnight screening of The Outsiders. His boss, the owner of the small theater, was a big 80's movie nut and always did big screenings like this to showcase some of his personal favorites. Cas had never been very interested in classic movies, but he sure as hell wasn't going to say anything to his boss. The man was nice, but he got very passionate about certain things, his favorite movies included. Despite his distaste for old movies, he did enjoy the extra attendance the theater gained for its famous weekly screenings. It meant more work for him, but he enjoyed the calm and quiet of the theater after a big crowd had been through and finally left. He'd grumble about people spilling their popcorn and leaving trash for him to pick up, but being inside the theaters after hours and closing up gave him the perfect opportunity to clear his head and just think about things. Sometimes he just needed to sit in the dark and ponder his life. God, that sounded so lame, he thought, maybe being surrounded by all the chick flicks really was getting to his head.

As two giggly teenage girls stumbled out of the darkness of the theater and made their way to the parking lot, he decided that was the last of the stragglers, and grabbed his plastic broom and dust bin. He stepped through the theater doors and got to work clearing out the entrance aisle where people left wrappers that had in turn been trampled by the crowd flooding out of the theater. He subconsciously started humming along to the song playing during the end credits, only to realize it was "Stay Gold" by Stevie Wonder. Sort of a sad song he thought, and that's when he heard the noise. He could hear the sound of someone sniffling just a few feet above him. He could've sworn everyone had left by now, but as he walked up the main aisle, he could hear the noise getting louder. Sure enough, he saw the outline of a boy about his age sitting just a couple seats away. No, not just a boy, more like a movie star, he thought as his eyes adjusted to the theater lighting.

The boy, maybe 18, looked like he could've pranced right out of the movie screen. He had spiky, sandy blonde hair that stuck up a little in the back from where he had used the chair headrest, a strong, lean frame, kissable pink lips that had no right belonging to any boy, and a slightly crooked nose dusted with freckles. All of this coupled with his worn looking leather jacket probably could've made girls swoon like a young Matt Dillon or Rob Lowe from the movie he'd just watched. But the thing that really stood out to Cas was his eyes. His big green eyes were expressive and soulful, framed by thick dark lashes, but there was something wrong with them. They glistened and the closer he looked, he could see some wetness threatening to spill out and the way his lashes clumped together with unshed tears. The boy didn't seem to notice him, but continued to stare at the screen behind him without really seeing it. He vaguely reminded Cas of a lost puppy, and he felt compelled to go comfort and hug him, disregarding how strange that would be for a stranger. Cas refrained from doing so, but he still felt dirty like he had seen something he shouldn't have. There was something so wrong about seeing such an innocent, beautiful looking boy looking like he was trying to hold back sobs. With a small shudder and quick calming breath, the boy seemed to put himself back together and expertly wiped his eyes, effectively hiding all evidence of his momentary lapse in composure.

He finally looked up to see Cas standing there watching him, probably looking like an idiot. Cas thanked God for the way the darkness hid what he knew was a bright blush spreading across his cheeks. He cleared his throat and tried to look casual, like he hadn't wanted to go up and wipe the tears away from the stranger's eyes with his own hands. "Sorry," the boy said in a smooth, deep voice that sounded only a little thick from crying. "I should get going. Don't want to keep you from doing your job." The boy flashed him a brilliant smile that didn't quite meet his eyes, but made Cas's knees go weak nonetheless. "Um, yeah..I mean okay. That's probably best," Cas muttered, cursing how words seemed to fail him and how squeaky his voice sounded in comparison to the stranger's. The boy looked only slightly disappointed before he put his poker face back in place and stood up. He was taller than he'd originally thought, Cas noted, and the brief flash of disappointment in his eyes hadn't escaped his notice either. "Wait. Sorry, that was rude of me. Feel free to stay however, uh, long you want." The boy smiled a little, inspiring Cas to keep going. "The movie isn't over yet anyway." he gave a smile of his own and gestured toward the screen where the names no one ever bothered to read were still flashing. The boy laughed "You're right. It's the most exciting part, man! Don't know what you're trying to do, kicking me out now. I paid good money for all of this." He gestured to the never ending list of names. But even as he said it, he made no move to sit back down. Cas was afraid he'd scared him away before the boy bent down and picked up an empty soda cup and old straw wrapper from under his seat. When he noticed Cas's confused expression he just shrugged and said "I can help clean up. I mean, if it's okay with you. I contributed to the mess, might as well" Cas wanted to refuse any help and was about to gesture to his own dust bin, assuring him he had it covered, but truth be told the theater was a total wreck. It looked like it had been host to a typhoon, instead of classic movie junkies.

So that's how the tall, gorgeous stranger ended up digging around under the rows of seats, picking up wrappers while Cas swept away the dust and gooey bits of Lord-knows-what from the floor. While the stranger tidied up, he hummed to himself, and Cas was once again surprised by what a nice voice he had. "It'd probably sound even better being whispered in my ear," he thought before he mentally slapped himself and tried focusing on the job at hand. All too soon, they were finished. Cas marveled at how much faster it had gone than his normal post movie clean ups. Not so much because the boy had been able to pick up much, but because his company seemed to make time go by quicker.

He emptied his bin in the trash and walked back into the theater just as the credits stopped rolling and the screen went totally black. When he walked back in, the stranger was sitting down in the front row. "Finally come to kick me out, have you?" he said with a grin. Cas just plopped down into the seat next to him. "Nope." The boy didn't respond, but he didn't object to Cas's closeness. It was dark except for the distant glow of the lobby lights and the sound of the old popcorn machine whirring. Normally at this point, Cas would've locked up and hurried home as soon as possible, but it felt cozy here with his new companion, and his desire to go home was overshadowed by his curiosity to get to know the stranger who didn't seem to be in much of a rush to leave either.

"Uh.." he didn't know quite how to phrase what he wanted to say to the boy and he ended up just blurting out, "Why were you crying?" "Real smooth," Cas internally cursed his own stupidity as their comfortable silence became awkward. "I'm sorry. I don't even know you, I was just…" he trailed off without finishing the thought. The boy looked up with a slightly conflicted expression on his face and started fidgeting with his hands, "No. it's alright. It's not like the movie was a chick flick or anything, it just sort of…hit close to home, I guess. Besides, Ralph Maccio always gets to me, the damn heartthrob." He pretended to swoon, but Cas ignored the attempt at comicality and quickly ran through what he knew about the Outsiders in his head. He vaguely remembered someone dying at the end. Maybe he had lost someone similarly. Or maybe Cas was just overanalyzing the whole thing. "After all, sometimes people just get upset," he thought to himself. He decided not to pry and kept his mouth shut.

He was distracted by his thoughts as the boy's mischievous grin returned and he looked Cas in the eyes and said, "Besides, you gotta buy me dinner first before I go telling you all of my secrets," and winked. Cas straightened up and blushed bright crimson before realizing he was just joking again. The last thing he wanted the boy to know was that he had briefly pictured both of them sitting at that 24 hour diner down the street and how he wondered whether the boy liked milkshakes because they had really good…no. He needed to stop before he let himself get carried away with stupid fantasies, even if it did seem like the boy was flirting with him. No. He was definitely imagining it. He'd probably watched one too many romantic comedies, and this boy just happened to share the same charming personality as a movie star. And the looks of one. With those damn luscious lips and…He stood up abruptly, running his hand through his hair for something to do and hoping his face wasn't as red as he thought it was. "Well I better close up now, I don't want to get fired." It sounded stupid even to himself. His boss wouldn't care if he closed up late as long as he got to work on time the next day. But the boy grinned graciously anyways, looking amused at how flustered he had made Cas. Cas couldn't believe how quickly he had gone from looking like a kicked puppy to teasing him with his adorably cheeky smile. Cas lead the way to the front of the building. He didn't trust himself to look the boy in the eyes without doing something stupid like begging him to go on a date with him. Chances were he wasn't even into guys. Cas imagined him wrapped around a gorgeous girl, and he couldn't stop the disappointment he felt. While he continued his tortured inner monologue, the boy just hummed to himself and followed Cas. When they reached the door, Cas awkwardly turned around to face him. "Thanks for, um, helping me clean up and stuff. It gets sort of lonely here sometimes, so just, um, thanks." What he didn't say was that he thought the boy was thoughtful and funny and looked ten times more beautiful when he was smiling, and seeing him cry broke his heart, and more than anything he wanted to make sure he never saw that look on his face again. But he just left it at thanks.

"Well thanks for letting me squat here for a while and not kicking me to the curb. Oh, and for walking me to the door. I don't think I would've found it on my own," Cas laughed at that, "Who knew cleaning up other people's trash could be so much fun? We should do it again sometime, Cas." Cas blanched, "How do you?.. I never told you my name?" The boy just winked, and with that he turned around and walked out to the parking lot before driving away in a shiny black car. Cas just stood there breathlessly, watching him walk away. It took him five whole minutes before he remembered he was in fact wearing his name tag and realized how stupid he'd probably looked. He groaned and wished more than anything that he could go bury himself in a hole. He couldn't help but hope to make up for the terrible first impression he'd probably given, but it wasn't until he had locked up and was starting up his own car that he realized he hadn't even gotten the stranger's name.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters. Sorry to disappoint.

That being said, I hope you enjoy this! This is my first fanfiction ever, and any reviews or constructive criticisms are very much welcome! After all, this is a learning experience for me.

Chapter 2

To say Cas was distracted would be a gross understatement. He was in such a dazed state when he woke up, he could barely make it out his bedroom door with his clothes on straight.

He'd walked in and out of his bathroom at least twice, forgetting each time why he'd walked in there in the first place. Even after he finally remembered it was to brush his teeth, his mind still wandered.

He sat at the kitchen counter, unsure of how long he had been there, just staring into the dregs of his cereal.

Part of his grogginess could be contributed to the fact that Cas was _not_ a morning person on a normal day, and he hadn't gotten too much sleep last night. Today, however, he suspected it had something more to do with the person who had kept him up in the first place.

No matter what he did, he couldn't get that boy from the theater out of his mind.

The stranger had occupied his thoughts as he'd drifted off to sleep, and apparently he wouldn't be forgetting him this morning either.

He couldn't pinpoint what exactly about the stranger had intrigued him so much, and he felt a little ashamed at how obsessed he was probably acting. No doubt the boy wasn't pining away for him. Hell, he might've completely forgotten the encounter already. The thought only worsened his mood.

He'd probably never know if it had meant anything more to the boy. He had no way of knowing if he'd ever even see him again.

He ran through what he knew in his head.

He'd looked to be about Cas's age, maybe a year ahead at most. But Cas had never seen the boy around, and in a small high school like his where everyone knew each other, it would be hard for them to have never crossed paths at least once.

That being said, Cas and his family had only moved into town half a year ago, so he didn't know _everyone_. His incomplete knowledge would only make it harder to track down the stranger since he didn't have much to go on.

It would've been nice if he'd at least had a name to work with. It was like _Cinderella_, he thought amusedly, except instead of a glass slipper, the only thing of the stranger's he had to work with was his car. A black Chevy Impala…

He was brought back to the present by his mother worriedly repeating his name.

"Castiel?" He looked up. "It's Cas," he said almost automatically.

His parents, being the devout Christians they were, thought that their beliefs should dictate every part of their lives, including the naming of their children, and that's how he had gotten stuck with an angel's name.

He hated it, but at least his nickname made it bearable. His older sister Anna, short for Anael, had at least gotten a name that sounded normal. No one ever asked _her _what Anna was short for. He, on the other hand, always had to explain the origin of his name to people.

"_Castiel_," she said pointedly, "shouldn't you be going to work now?" He sighed. She was right. Not sparing her much more than simple "Goodbye", he left.

30 minutes later, he was pulling into his regular parking spot outside the theater. It was 10:45 and the theater didn't open until 11:00. He spent the next fifteen minutes making sure the ticket and concession stands were stocked properly and double checking each theater, lingering in theater 9 a little longer than the rest.

By 11:00 his fellow coworkers, who he hadn't even heard enter, were at their places, ready to start their shifts. He nodded to Charlie who was sitting in the ticket booth with her feet propped up and headphones in. She grinned and waved back while bopping her head to the sound of her music.

Cas wondered how anyone could be so cheerful having to work the morning shift on a Saturday, but Charlie never ceased to surprise him with her unfailingly carefree attitude.

The rest of the day passed without incident, leaving Cas with nothing to do but start daydreaming about his mysterious crush again.

He saw the stranger everywhere he looked. He saw him in the little girl buying candy with freckles on her nose. He saw him in the girl's father who wore an all too familiar looking leather jacket.

If only he could actually see _him, _not just the reminders that seemed to follow him around.

If he could just get a name he'd be happy! So he spent the rest of the afternoon all the way into the evening passing time trying to come up with names to put to the stranger's face. His oh so _very_ attractive face. None of them seemed to fit though, and each one he came up with seemed more ridiculous and unlikely than the last.

He was just pondering the possibility of "David" or "Jack" when Charlie came sauntering over to him and crawled over the glass counter, despite his protests, before gracefully sliding in front of him.

She elbowed him with a playful smile on her face. "Sup, Cas?" He squinted suspiciously "What's up with you, Charlie? What do you want?"

"Can't a girl just come over for a nice late night chat with her BFF?" she feigned innocence.

"Not when she should be running the ticket counter."

"Oh please, I got that handled. Ash can cover for me. Besides it's almost closing time, not like there's many people clamoring for tickets tonight." She was right. Cas had forgotten about some big football game everyone at school was going to tonight. It should be over by now, but they usually had big after parties that lasted pretty late. It would explain the uncharacteristic emptiness of the theater on a Saturday night.

She twirled her long red curls and continued, "So you're coming to my party next week, right?"

"Yeah, Charlie. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Cas wasn't really a big fan of parties or anything, but it was Charlie's big birthday bash, as she put it, and knowing her, it would actually turn out to be pretty fun.

"Yay! Don't know what I would've done without my best wingman. And who knows? There's gonna be lots of guests, maybe you'll find someone there." She winked, and for some reason Cas had the distinct impression that she could sense his fantasizing thoughts and growing crush.

She didn't say anything though and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading back to relieve Ash from his duties. Cas smiled. He liked Charlie a lot. They'd grown close working weird hours together, and since they were in the same grade, she had become one of his closest school friends for which he was very grateful. It wasn't easy making friends in such a close knit town.

He wanted to thank her for her friendship by getting her something nice. Cas was sort of a nerd, he guessed, but he didn't revel in his geekiness like Charlie did. While she tended to drip with enthusiasm and wear her passions on her sleeve, Cas had more secret guilty pleasures.

He still knew about that one comic book store downtown though. Charlie had actually dragged him down there a couple times. He remembered her eyeing some games down there. He thought it'd be worth a look to check out some of the stuff and see if he could find a suitable Charlie-approved gift.

He glanced at his watch. Quarter till ten when his shift ended. It was pretty late, but he was afraid if he put it off any longer, he'd forget or get too busy with school to find time. Best to get it now while he was already out and being productive.

So at twenty past ten, he found himself driving to the comic book store. It was pretty far from the neighborhood where he lived. It was actually on the complete opposite side of town. His town wasn't huge, but he definitely lived in the nicest sector. His parents didn't talk about money much, but their giant white house with ivy and a picket fence sort of gave away their status. Yes, he had a job and drove a hand me down car, but the fact that he even got a car of his own was a huge luxury.

If he was being completely honest, he typically tried to avoid the south side of town. His parents had instilled him with an automatic caution towards "bad neighborhoods" like this one.

It was fine when they'd gone there in broad daylight, but at night it was beginning to dawn on him where he was. He just resolved himself to hurry up and get what he'd come for, and then he could head home.

Apparently, though, his car had other ideas. He could make out the lights of the comic book store up ahead on the next block when his car started making worrying spluttering noises. He pulled over to the curb and looked down to his dash for answers. He finally noticed the temperature warning light shining. Uh oh. How long had that been on?

"What the hell?" Cas grumbled. It had been cold out, especially right now after sun down. How on earth could his engine be overheating? He knew better than to ignore it though and shut his engine off. "Really great timing." He huffed before opening the door and walking around to the hood of the car. He would check out the problem for himself, and if possible, fix it.

When he brought the hood up, he was immediately greeted by a huge billow of smoke in the face. He coughed and sputtered, immediately backing away from the vehicle. So much for playing mechanic, he thought. He was way out of his element. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, watching his car, now barely visible through the giant cloud of white smoke emanating from its hood.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, seeking his phone. He felt it and sighed in relief before pressing the power button and groaning in frustration at the black screen that refused to light up. It was dead. He couldn't believe it. Could anything else possibly go wrong right now?

He resisted the urge to kick his car because it was definitely screwed up enough already.

He took stock of his surroundings. He could still see the block where the comic book shop was, but that was no longer his first concern. Next to him was a small corner convenience store and Chinese takeout restaurant and across the street were some shabby apartments with rusting fire escapes and a crumbling facade. It looked practically abandoned, and the single street light illuminating its exterior flickered, giving the building an even more eerie presence. He decided the convenience store was his best bid for help.

He crossed the threshold into the brightly lit store. He passed the aisles of chips and drinks and made his way up to the checkout counter where a guy with long brown hair was lazily flipping through a magazine.

The guy didn't give any sign that he saw Cas, and he coughed a little to get his attention. "Uh, excuse me?"

The guy made a scene of slowly and dramatically closing his magazine and looking up at Cas annoyed. "What do you want?"

Cas matched the guy's annoyed look. It was late, he was stranded, and he did _not_ need to deal with this guy's attitude right now. With a forced calm he replied, "Well, uh, my car just broke down outside."

"And what do you want me to do about it?" the guy raised his eyebrow.

"I don't know, do you at least have a phone I could borrow?"

"Sorry, pal, landline's broken."

_Well wasn't that just perfect_. He was just preparing to turn around and go to the takeout place to see if _they_ had a phone when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"What's the problem with your car?"

No. It couldn't be. But he had to check.

He spun around to see _him_ standing there. It was the stranger he hadn't stopped thinking about since the night before, standing right in front of him, holding a Coke and pack of peanut M&M's to checkout, looking just as gorgeous as he remembered.

He watched as the boy's face shifted from curious and helpful to surprise and recognition, and then a giant grin broke out across his face.

"Fancy meeting you here, Cas."

Cas gave his own shy smile. "Hey, um-?"

"Dean."

Cas was grinning now. "Hello, Dean."

Maybe his car breaking down wasn't actually such a bad thing. After all, the universe works in mysterious ways…


End file.
